A Amid those chaotic era after the Great War, while artistic experiment flourished, critics found fascination with the ambiguously titled avant-garde Tour Donas. “One finds a certain charm in Donas’s art unfamiliar in artists of his movement,” noted a critic, “a kind of modest hesitation implying delicate femininity.” The art, in reality, her work, that is Donas herself, from Belgium using a non-gendered alias to get on in the male-dominated art world.
As Tour Donas, Marthe had a meteoric rise, then slipping into anonymity. Today, the city of her birth is hosting a significant display positioning her among modernist greats, with Piet Mondrian and other luminaries. This showcase, which opens on Saturday at KMSKA, highlights over fifty pieces, ranging from cubist compositions using vibrant tones, shimmering impressions of textiles, and geometric abstractions.
The feeling of abstraction complements grace,” a specialist commented. “There is a real drive for renewal, for innovation … yet there exists a powerful yearning, an appetite for timeless grace.”
In contrast to more radical artists, this artistic group were not radicals, as per the curator. One of the most prized works in the exhibition is the work The Dance, which Donas painted during 1918-1919. This piece was thought vanished, until discovered in Japan ahead of this exhibition.
Early Life and Challenges
The artist was born in 1885 from a prosperous francophone household in Antwerp. An ancestor had been a realist painter, however, her father was not keen on his daughter following this path; he removed her from her studies early on very quickly.
Later on, she returned to school, determined to be an artist, after a life-changing accident. She tumbled from a rooftop while trying to catch a glimpse of the monarch, on a trip to the city, smashing through a glass ceiling as she descended. Her training ceased due to the German invasion of 1914. As her relatives escaped for the Netherlands, Marthe went to Dublin, where she enrolled in art school and discovered glass art. After a spell in Paris, which was pivotal for her art, but drained her savings, she relocated south as a drawing instructor to a rich lady.
Artistic Breakthrough and Collaboration
She encountered Archipenko on the French Riviera. The pair soon clicked. He referred to her as “my best student” and began to promote her work. She pioneered unconventionally formed artworks, art that avoided conventional shapes for uniquely shaped pictures that highlighted their cubist distortions.
Today’s non-rectangular works usually associate with a different pioneer, experts believe she led the way of her generation to pioneer this distinct style.
However, her input was ignored. During that period, modernist movements were seen as male preserves; overly cerebral, too rational, for women.
Appreciation and Influence
More than a century later, her work is receiving attention. The museum, recently renovated, seeks to feature artists who are women within its holdings. Previously, a single work was held by Donas, rarely exhibited.
The showcase mirrors an expanding trend to rediscover overlooked women artists, like other historical figures. Similar shows have retrieved from storage creations by more women from various movements.
An art historian dedicated a long time working to promote the artist, who he admires for “the grace, the colours, the innovation and the aesthetic” of her creations. An organizer involved in the project questions the dismissive treatment from her era. She was not “a novice” when she met Archipenko, rather a mature creator independently.
Later Years and Lasting Influence
The relationship of the two artists concluded around 1921. Donas married and moved to the Walloon countryside; he moved overseas. Subsequently, she disappeared from the artistic map for two decades starting in the 1920s, following motherhood aged 45. Years afterward, she understated his influence, saying it was merely “a few months working with him”.
This presentation displays a stronger creative spark. It ends with two works: one by Donas reflecting a piece by Archipenko she kept after the break-up. The vivid colours and curves from each artwork work together, yet observers remark “she does something of her own, avoiding replication”.
- This collection Enchanting Modernism is hosted in Antwerp through early 2026.
